Page 4 of The Secrets Behind Us

I bristle a little bit at his statement. I'm not sure why they're pushing this all of a sudden.

I grab a beer from my fridge and turn back to my annoying brothers. “How about I don’t want to.”

Alex laughs. “It doesn’t matter what you want. It's time to get out more, it's been five years. You’re coming. And if you keep saying no, I’ll drug you.”

The crazy part is I don’t know if he’s serious or not. He’s probably joking. He loves doing and saying stupid shit, especially when it comes to Mateo and me.

I mull around the idea quickly coming up with a plan. “Fine. I’ll go.” For about an hour and then I'll make an excuse to get the hell out.

As if Alex can read my mind he nods. “You can’t leave after an hour either. You have to try and enjoy yourself.” He points a finger at me as he calls me out.

“No promises.”

I chug my beer and throw the bottle in the recycling bin. Looking at my brothers who haven't moved from their spots on my couch, I lift an eyebrow. “Well, are we going?”

Alex claps his hands then shoots up. “Yes, we’re going. It’s bro night.”

Mateo leans over and slaps Alex upside the back of his head. “Don’t call it that.”

I laugh as all three of us make our way to Mateo’s truck and head to our small town’s only bar, Gary’s Place.

The second we're through the door, all three of us head straight to the bar. “Hey Ricky, can we get three beers?”

“The usual?”

“Yeah, Bud Lights all the way.” We each lower onto a barstool.

I look around the bar seeing if anyone catches my attention for the night. Usually, there is no one. Not since the night that changed everything I thought I knew. It’s a small town and only so many tourists.

“What’s going on tonight?” I hear Alex ask Ricky on my left as he places our beers downs in front of us.

“It’s karaoke night,” Ricky answers, getting a grunt from Mateo and I at the same time.

Karaoke night is the worst. I don’t know why they wanted to come here. It’s just going to be a ton of women, singing off tune, yelling and getting drunk. Now that I think about it, I bet it was Alex’s idea to come. I bet he’s planning on hooking up with one of these unexpecting women. Probably using some cheesy pickup line like you have the voice of an angel or something. Newsflash: they all suck.

The lights go down and a spotlight is pointed at the stage. The first group of women step up and everyone cheers. I roll my eyes and take another swig of my drink. I never understand the need to get up and make a fool of yourself, but apparently, it’s a pastime for people.

The music to Toxic by Brittney Spears comes on and the three women break into a dance that definitely looks like they practiced it. I let out a scoff. Did they really work on this outside of karaoke night?

I turn away from the spectacle that is happening on stage and look at my brothers. Alex stands in front of his barstool dancing and cheering, living his best life. Mateo, though, looks about as annoyed as me as he stares at someone in the back. Hmm…I wonder what that’s about.

Alex waves his hand in front of my face catching my attention. I follow his hand as he points to two women sitting at a table. He looks back at me and mouths, “She’s hot. The one in the black shirt.”

I look closer at the two women who are dancing, laughing, and cheering on the ladies on stage. The two of them are clearly enjoying themselves. I laugh to myself as I watch them. They are both thin with dark blonde hair, but one of them catches my attention more than the other. She has long legs, which lead up to a nice round ass. Alex is right, she is hot.

I can’t see more of her, but I like what I do see. My cock hardens at the idea of taking her from behind. It’s been a long time since I’ve reacted like this. Not since her. The one I don’t think about. The one that left me behind without a real explanation. I adjust myself in my seat as I continue to watch the women before me.

Suddenly she turns around and our eyes meet, and everything around me fades away. The blood rushes to my ears, and all I hear is my heartbeat quickening as my breath leaves me and a pang of grief hits me square in the chest. Somewhere through the fog, I think one of my brothers questions out loud, “Holy shit, is that Hazel Whitlock?”

I don’t answer though. I can't, because it can’t be her.

What the fuck is she doing here? She left.

When did she come back? How come she didn't tell me? Is she back for good? I have so many questions that I want to ask, but I'm not sure I want the answers either.

The blood has drained from her face as her jaw drops to the ground. I look over her body, it's stiff and she hasn't moved or looked away.

I clench my fists and my blood boils. Staring at her brings up all the anger I’ve suppressed over the years. I can’t stand here staring at her anymore. I need to get out of here.

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